...sat in a place of expectation so surreal that you have to pinch yourself? You can see the victory on the horizon. You can taste the excitement on your tongue. There is such expectation running through your soul that your skin has goosebumps. Your mind is in tune, your body is ready at any given time to celebrate. I'm not sure what this time in life, this new season, this shift is bringing, but with it comes this joy so deep down on the inside that its rooted and grounded in my very being.
I heard this scripture in my spirit - The joy of the Lord is my strength. God told me to go and read the chapter. Here's is what I found most interesting. This scripture is Nehemiah 8:10. We all know that Nehemiah was sent by God to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. The wall was completed in Nehemiah 6. The names of those that returned to this holy place is in Nehemiah 7. Between Nehemiah 8:1 and 8:10, the book of the Law of Moses was being read and the people of Israel were weeping. What could have had them weeping? One scholar writes that because the book had been lost to them, this was their first hearing of the sacred book while they had been captivity in Babylon. Can you imagine not being able to read the Bible for generations then the only copy becomes available to you? I know some of your are saying, this is why you need to hide the Word in your heart. But, let's take this back to this time period. People couldn't read. The priests and teachers read to them. They got understanding from what they heard, not what they read. So, put your self in this place. See with your spiritual eye their journey. I get why they were weeping. The Word of God had been withheld from them. They had been denied their right to be.
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (Neh. 8:10 KJV)
There may be times when we are separated from God. Like the Israelites, it can come by our own doing. I know many are set to blame satan for everything, but our free will choice means we get to choose God even in times of difficulty. We can get so bogged down with life that we forget to turn to God when hell breaks loose.
19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. (Isa. 59:19 KJV).
It is our job to remember that God never leaves us or forsakes us. It is our job to understand that when we turn from God, we have to turn back to Him. When the enemy comes to test us and throw a distraction our way, we have to wait and see the salvation of the Lord. Yes, there are a lot of things going on in the world today. But, let God lift the standard. Sit and see what He is doing. Think it not strange all that is happening because none of it is catching God unaware.
You may ask how all of this explains the joy deeply rooted in my soul. For me its simple. Its in a credence that has been floating around my church for a while - Only God Can Do It!! Whatever I need and or desire - Only God Can Do It. My relinquish of control is new for me. I stand in expectation because I understand that I don't have control. And while I've understood that for a while, the newness in it is that I'm not battling God for control anymore. Understanding that I don't have control is one thing, accepting it is another. Its the acceptance that has lightened the load off my shoulders and released the burden from my soul. This is the joy that is bubbling through my spirit. This is the joy that I have, this newness, this shift, this expectation.
May God bless you to have this if you don't. And, if you do, may it grow in abundance.
Be A Blessing and Not Just Blessed
- Nakya